As December unfolds and we journey toward the Winter Solstice, the live music scene in The Berkshires continues to uplift our spirits and illuminate our outlook, even as the days grow shorter and the nights longer. We have 41 performances in the County this week, including rock, folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz, classical, and several holiday performances. Below are a few highlights, followed by the full show rundown.
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Jazz
We have four jazz performances this week, starting off Monday night with the Michael Junkins Trio at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. On Friday, Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield has a special performance: A Tribute To The Music Of Bert Wilson Featuring Bob Meyer’s Circular Quartet. Sunday morning, catch Redshift at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. And as usual, the jazz week concludes Sunday evening with Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. This week and through December, Michael will be performing holiday jazz.
Classical
We have three classical shows this week, starting Tuesday with the Berkshire Symphony Soloist Competition at Williams College in Williamstown. Friday evening, you can catch the Williams College Chamber Music Gala at The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. Unfortunately, Sunday’s Performing Artists In Residence Concert: Winter’s Journey at The Clark Art Institute is sold out.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
We have roughly 20 performances in the popular music genres – we can’t list them all, but we will mention a few highlights. On Tuesday, Nate Martel is playing at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. On Thurday, you can catch Virginia-based folk and roots artist Phillip Roebuck at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Local favorite Evan Lanoue Trio is over at Antimony Brewing in Lenox, and the Celtic, folk, and Americana artist Emerald Rae is back at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Rounding the evening out is Bark w/ The Great Dying at Tourists in North Adams. Bark is described as “a lo-fi post-punk garage-rock combo inspired by American blues and roots revisionists like the Cramps, the Gun Club, and R.L. Burnside.”
Friday’s highlights include MA-based bluegrass band Mamma’s Marmalade and Lennon Award-winning songwriter Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light at the Egremont Barn. You’ll find Music in the Berkshires Featured Musician Misty Blues at Berkshire Palate in Pittsfield. The Amy Ryan Band is at Firefly Gastropub in Lenox, while local favorite Hot Sauce is at The Lion’s Den. Rounding out the evening, The Refrigerators with Hotshot Hillbillies perform at The Stationery Factory in Dalton.
Saturday night’s highlighted show is Toronto-based roots-rock band Bywater Call (pictured above) and Entrain at The Stationery Factory. This will be Bywater Call’s final US stop before starting an extensive tour in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. Entrain, based in Eastern MA but led by local drummer extraordinaire Tom Major, is known to put on an incredible live show. Other Saturday options include Jake Manzi, who is back at The Lion’s Den, while local favorite Glori Wilder performs at Egremont Barn (update 12/6: unfortunately, Glori had to cancel due to illness).
You have four options on Sunday afternoon: Misty Blues Trio at portaVia in Dalton, 50 Years Later at Antimony Brewing, Paul Zarvis at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond, and Midnite:30 at Bright Ideas Brewing in North Adams.
Holiday
During the month of December, we will highlight the Holiday performances in the County for the week. Berkshire Lyric is offering two performances this week: The Holly and the Ivy – Pittsfield on Friday at St. Charles Roman Catholic Church and The Holly and the Ivy – Great Barrington at St. James Place on Sunday. Both performances will feature the Vivaldi Magnificat plus A cappella carols by Hassler, Bruckner, Lauridsen, and Ola Gjeilo. On Saturday afternoon, you can see the Stockbridge Festival Chorus Christmas Concert at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge. They will perform “A Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten and other anthems by Rutter, Warlock, and Stopford. Saturday evening has two very different holiday offerings: Tipsy Carol Sing Along with Tipsy Carol AKA Mcboozie On Piano at The Foundry in West Stockbridge and the Vocalis Youth Choir: Holiday Concert at St. James Place in Great Barrington. On Sunday afternoon, the New England Bell Ringers present The Greatest Gift at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Pittsfield.
Something Else
We have four performances in our “Something Else” category this week, beginning on Wednesday with the Chinese Music Ensemble at Williams College, performing the sizhu genre of chamber music. Thursday, you can catch the Swedish “Folk’appella” band Kongero at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. On Saturday at noon, there is a repeat performance of the Kids Concerts with Terry A La Berry and Friends at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. And later in the afternoon, you’ll find the Williams Gospel Choir at Williams College.
You can read about all of these performances and more in our weekly show rundown below or jump right to our music calendar. Use the subscribe button below to receive this free weekly rundown of upcoming performances in your inbox each Monday. And if I missed a performance, please contact me, and I’ll add it to the calendar.
Monday
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Michael Junkins Trio @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
Tuesday
6:00 pm Berkshire Symphony Soloist Competition @ Williams College, Williamstown.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Nate Martel @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
Wednesday
7:30 pm Chinese Music Ensemble @ Williams College, Williamstown. Performing the sizhu genre of chamber music.
Thursday
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Phillip Roebuck @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Folk. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Evan Lanoue Trio @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Emerald Rae @ The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Celtic, Folk, Americana. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Kongero @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge. Swedish “Folk’appella.” Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm Bark w/ The Great Dying @ Tourists, North Adams. Rock, “Dark” Country. Learn more and listen to Bark here. Learn more and listen to The Great Dying here.
Friday
7:00 pm Misty Blues @ Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Williams College Chamber Music Gala @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Amy Ryan Band @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox. Country, Blues, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Hot Sauce @ The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Rock.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm The Holly and the Ivy – Pittsfield @ St. Charles Roman Catholic Church, Pittsfield. The featured work will be the Vivaldi Magnificat, plus a cappella carols by Hassler, Bruckner, Lauridsen, and Ola Gjeilo.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Refrigerators wsg Hotshot Hillbillies @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Rock. Learn more and listen to The Refrigerators here. Learn more and listen to Hotshot Hillbillies here.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Mamma’s Marmalade and Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Bluegrass. Learn more and listen to Mama’s Marmalade here. Learn more and listen to Rachel Sumner here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm A Tribute To The Music Of Bert Wilson Featuring Bob Meyer’s Circular Quartet @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Jazz.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Frankie Lessard @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
Saturday
12:00 pm Kids Concerts with Terry A La Berry and Friends @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Live Music with Marji Zintz @ Big Elm Taproom, Great Barrington. Folk, Americana. Learn more and listen to Marji here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Paul Zarvis @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Tony Bernardo @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm Stockbridge Festival Chorus Christmas Concert @ First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, Stockbridge. Performing “A Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten and other anthems by Rutter, Warlock, and Stopford.
4:00 pm Williams Gospel Choir @ Williams College, Williamstown.
6:30 pm – 10:30 pm Bywater Call and Entrain @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Southern Soul, Roots Rock. Learn more and listen to Bywater Call here. Learn more and listen to Entrain here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Erin Powers @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Canna Provisions Presents Live Music at The Locker Room Featuring Lindsay Anne @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jake Manzi @ The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Pop, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Tipsy Carol Sing Along with Tipsy Carol AKA Mcboozie On Piano @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm Vocalis Youth Choir: Holiday Concert @ St. James Place, Great Barrington.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Glori Wilder @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. CANCELED due to illness.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Ben Kohn with Susan Davis @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Jazz, Blues, Holiday.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch with Redshift @ Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Misty Blues Trio @ portaVia, Dalton. Blues. Learn more and listen here.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Performing Artists In Residence Concert: Winter’s Journey (SOLD OUT) @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.Chamber.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm 50 Years Later @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Paul Zarvis @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm The Holly and the Ivy – Great Barrington @ St. James Place, Great Barrington. The featured work will be the Vivaldi Magnificat, plus a cappella carols by Hassler, Bruckner, Lauridsen, and Ola Gjeilo.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Taproom Music: Midnite:30 @ Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Holiday Jazz with Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
That’s our Show Rundown for the week of December 4.
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires